The Institute
by poetrygirl22
Summary: Annabeth Chase is different. She kept to The Rules all her life. But tragedy struck, and she was sent to The Institute. Here she meets Percy Jackson, someone just like her. They need to escape before it's too late, but the sacrifice entailed is out of this world.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any characters.

This plot line has been in my mind for a while, and I'm quite pleased with the results.

Please review, they really make my day.

Enjoy!

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"I had to, you don't understand. Let me go, let me go!" Annabeth yelled out defiantly, struggling against the iron grip of the black clad men her. "Let me go!" She heard the car drive away behind her, but couldn't turn her head. "Please, I can't stay here." She broke into a sob on the last word, her eyes full of unshed tears.

The building she was being pulled towards towered above her, a giant grey cube on the flat desert landscape. Everything was concrete. The entire building was a dull grey, not a spark of colour anywhere. There were hundreds of tiny windows, the ones on the top few floors with bars across, the others not. Annabeth reckoned that was where the inmates were kept.

Inmates. That was what the they were. The Institute was a school of correction, for people who broke the Contract.

She was pulled to the doorway, which slid up mechanically as she reached it. Behind it were more guards, piling around her so deep that she could no longer see the walls around her, only the concrete floor below her and the concrete ceiling above her. The guards all wore black. Black gloves, black uniform, black masks. Not an inch of their skin was free, thick padding making it hard to distinguish between genders. She was pulled along the nondescript corridors, stumbling up countless steps, until she at last came up to a door. It was dull grey and thick, identical to all the other doors that stretched along the never ending corridor. Each door probably held another one of the Demigod Project. The thought amazed her.

The Demigod Project was covered in obscurity. But she knew a few things. A group who called themselves G.A.I.A had injected an unknown virus into a group of babies, each one containing different genetical data. The babies had grown up, and when the different powers started to show through, they were made to sign a Contract that said that they were to never use their skills. If they broke the Contract they were thrown into the Institute.

She was shoved into the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Everything was grey her as well. A simple single bed in the corner, a small wardrobe without doors, and an opening at the side which led to a simple toilet and sink. Grey, grey and more grey. There was a tiny window with no glass in, thick bars stretching across them with only the tiniest spaces between each one. She sat down on the hard bed, staring around at what now must be her home.

"Annabeth Chase, your name is now 908." The voice was emotionless and calm, not male or female. "If you refer to yourself anything other than 908 you will be put in Correction." The message clicked off. Then another recorded message began this one was just as emotionless, except now it seemed even more clinical and impersonal.

"You have an assigned carer. If you are abusive in any way you will be put in Correction. Food is served at 7am, 12pm and 6pm. If you do not attend these times you will be put in Correction. Between 10 and 11am and 2 and 3pm you will be allowed outside to spend your time freely, as long as you abide by the rules. Once outside you will not take off any of your uniform, engage any guard in conversation or attempt to leave the compound. If you do any of these you will be put in Correction. If you show any abusive behaviour towards the guards they will defend themselves accordingly and you will be put in Correction. In the training centre you will not interfere with another of the DG program. Under no circumstances will you make any emotional attachments to anyone else in the building. If so you will be put in Correction. You will not lie about the actions taken by the guards, if you do you will be put in Correction. If you are discovered with any weapons, you will be put in Correction indefinitely."

The announcement clicked off, leaving Annabeth with too many questions. What was Correction? It didn't sound pleasant, whatever it was. She decided then and there that it wouldn't be in her best interests to end up in there. And then there was the training centre. The DG program must be the Demigod Project. She shook her head. She would find out the answers to her questions soon enough.

Next to her was a pile of clothes. Grey shirt. Grey shorts. Grey boots. Thick grey gloves. What struck her was the fact it wasn't like a prison uniform. It wasn't shapeless and bulky. It was a uniform that allowed her to move. As she slipped on her new clothes she realised that they fitted her perfectly, not too tight and not too big. The gloves felt like a second skin, not restricting her movement at all. Except once they were on they wouldn't come off again, as if they had sealed themselves to her skin. It was just as well. She wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else now.

She slipped her old ripped clothes into the shoot that opened out of the wall, holding her t-shirt just above the gaping black mouth. In the t-shirt was her knife, the one that had saved her life too many times. But Correction sounded nightmarish, and if it was enough to terrify everyone else here into obeying the rules, she didn't fancy going there indefinitely. So she let go, the knife making a dull clunking noise as it hit the metal of the tube. Just as she sat down again the door swung open, revealing a black clad figure. She was slim, with blood red lips and a pale complexion. Her eyes were huge and covered in eye liner, staring at her. Her face broke into a snarl.

"You're 908." It was a statement, not a question. "I'm Kelly, I'm your carer. You obey me, or you'll pay. You're a monster, barely even human. I suggested that they just shoot all of you dead, but they didn't seem to want to. Shame." Her voice was high and squeaky, but it soon turned into a growl. "Follow me."

Annabeth dully followed the guard, the corridors blending into one as she trekked down. Maybe that was the point. Kelly suddenly stopped, making Annabeth slam into her back. "Watch it Blondie." The guard snarled, and Annabeth had to bite back her response. She would make Kelly regret her words, but she would find out about her surroundings first. Kelly pushed a button, the door sliding upwards on oiled hinges.

The sight in front of her made Annabeth gasp.


	2. Chapter 2

**I own no characters.**

**Please please please review. I appreciate everything you have to say.**

**Enjoy!**

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It was a wide, open canteen. There were rectangular tables, plastic chairs, a pile of trays in the corner. It looked just like a normal canteen.

It was the people in it that broke the spell.

They were sat around on the chairs, chatting to each other. All different ages, four year olds sitting next to eighteen year olds. A tiny girl who couldn't be any older than six started to cry, and the tears seemed to glow blue. They hit the table, and the plastic started to smoke. Then the smoke faded away, and to Annabeth's astonishment, where the tears had been there were now small holes, blackened around the edges. Suddenly a group of guards converged on the young girl, strapping a mask onto her face and carrying her out. Behind them the door slammed shut. A girl with spiky black hair and electric blue eyes reached towards her with a yell, but the guards pressed her back down again. She looked about the same age as Annabeth, but her eyes seemed old, like she had seen so many hardships. A girl with pale skin and dark hair started talking to her, and the girl calmed down slightly. A girl with green skin frowned down into her cup, her mouth a thin line. A green tendril poked it's way out, flowering instantly. Her eyes widened and she squashed it back down into her cup, looking around fearfully.

Kelly poked her in the back, breaking her daze. "Well, do you want your food or not?"

Annabeth stumbled in, glancing around. Kelly stepped back, against the wall.

She stepped forward again, peering around for the source of food. She saw a small window, and walked towards it, willing her legs to stop shaking. She was painfully aware of every eye on her. She walked up to the window, looking at the man in a mask behind it.

"Is this where you can…"

"Name?" The man's voice was dull and emotionless.

"Annabeth. Annabeth Chase."

"Name." The voice had increased slightly, with an edge of harshness to it that hadn't been there before. She realised too late that she had a number now. She was no longer Annabeth Chase, no longer a person. She was just a number.

"908" She caught a stray tear with her thumb, blinking back the rest.

She was going to be strong. She would not be beaten. No matter what they did, she was not going to fade away. Not after she's been through so much. She wasn't going to lose it all because they gave her a stupid number. She was more than they would ever understand.

The man shoved a tray towards her, the window slamming shut the moment she took it. She turned around, taking in the room. A boy with gleaming white wings folded behind his back pointed at her, muttering something under his breath to his mates. He whistled at her, beckoning her forward. He looked about two years older than her, and there was a greedy shine in his eyes she didn't like. She started to head towards him, but a hand grabbed her elbow. She pulled her arm out of the grasp, staring into a long face with a wispy beard. His hair stuck out in mad curls.

"Do you want to sit with us, newbie?" His voice was kind, and his face broke out into a huge smile when she nodded. The table was round, exactly in the centre of the canteen. There were two empty chairs, Grover beckoning her into one. She slid into a plastic chair opposite him, next to the girl with piercing blue eyes she had seen shouting earlier. The second she touched the chair a band wrapped itself around her legs, tying her to the chair. Annabeth's eyes widened, but the more she struggled the tighter it got.

"Hey, relax. It always does that, you can't get out. Don't struggle. It'll just get worse. Trust me." The girl next to her put a sturdy hand on her shoulder, pressing her down into the chair. When she stopped moving the band loosened slightly.

"Hi, I'm…"

"Shut up!" The guy with crazy hair ordered loudly, causing a few people on the tables surrounding them to glance in his direction. "Don't use your name, they'll get you. They'll take you to that place. Like him. They'll take you where he is. They'll hurt you. They'll hurt you." He grabbed her hand, his wild eyes staring into hers. His was pale, his whole body shaking. The girl next to him started to whisper frantically in his ear. It was the same girl who had helped Thalia calm down. Her entire body had a greenish hue, like she was just as much plant as human. Annabeth glanced down at her teacup, thinking once again about the circumstances that had brought them here. The bearded man calmed down again, slight colour returning to his cheeks. He let go of her hand. "Don't." It was barely whisper this time.

"Hey, it's okay. Thanks for reminding me. I'm 908." She tried to smile reassuringly, and it must have helped slightly because he sat up a little straighter.

"Sorry, it's just sometimes… Sometimes it's all too much. What with Per…503." He buried his head in his hands, breathing deeply. The girl with green skin smiled at her sadly.

"I'm sorry. Things have been hard recently, for everyone." Her voice was quiet and sweet, and it made Annabeth feel the tiniest bit better. The girl glanced down at her tray, a fragile smile on her face. "Do you want us to help you with that?"

"Please." The green girl reached forward, but the girl with spiky black hair stopped her.

"It's okay, I'll do it." She reached forward, looking at the tray for a while. There was a plain plastic bowl, a plain, empty disposal cup, a plastic spoon. In the bowl there was a small, silver packet. The girl next to her ripped open the packet, pouring the content into the bowl. It was filled with a brown powder, filling about a quarter of the bowl. The girl next to her reached for the jug sitting on the table, making up to the top with water.

"And then you stir it." The girl next to her leaned back. Annabeth stirred it until it resembled brown sludge. She made a face.

"Delicious."

"It tastes even worse than it looks. Same everyday. It doesn't taste as bad after a few years. Your mouth kind of gets used to the taste." They smiled at each other. The dark haired girl leaned into the blonde, lowering her voice.

"I hate these numbers. So I'm going to tell you our names. I'm Thalia. What's your name, your real name?"

"Annabeth Chase."

"Nice name. It suits you. Now everyone else. I'll start with him," She said, nodding her head towards the boy with curly hair, "that's Grover. The girl next to him is Juniper, she's his girlfriend. Rachel usually sits next to you." She gestured at the empty place beside her. "But I'm not sure where she is. Next to Juniper is Bianca." She smiled at her, and the pale skinned girl waved cheerily. "And next to her is Nico, he's her little brother. He's a year younger than me. Bianca and Nico are my cousins." Nico was slight, staring at his plate with a small smile on his face. "And that's where, that's where Percy Jackson sits. Percy's my cousin as well. He's in Correction. It's because he helped someone. It's wrong. It's wrong and they're evil." Thalia took a deep breath before carrying on. "That's why Grover freaked out earlier. They're best friends. It's like they've got this… connection. Grover gets upset when Percy gets hurt. It hurts him. It hurts us all."

Thalia started to stir the sludge with her spoon. Anger radiated off her. She was definitely friendly, and Annabeth could see them being friends, but when she was angry it was safer to stay away.

Another girl slid into the seat next to Annabeth, the belt making a whirring sound as it trapped her in. She had crimson hair that fell in haphazard ringlets down her back, with pale skin and high cheekbones. She was strikingly beautiful.

"Hi, are you new?" She forced a smile as she looked at Annabeth. She must be Rachel.

"Yep, got here this morning."

"Right. Cool. Welcome and all that." She was clearly preoccupied. She leaned across Annabeth, offering her a smile of apology, before asking Thalia. "Any news?"

"No."

"Gods, please let him be okay." Rachel murmured, dragging her hand across her face. Annabeth guessed they must be talking about Percy. "He'll be fine, right?"

"Of course he will. He always is." But Thalia's voice lacked conviction, and everybody could tell. Then Rachel's head shot to the side, and a second after the doors slid open.

Two guards stood at the door, holding a limp, bleeding body in their arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took forever to be put up. I kept writing drafts that were totally rubbish and starting again. I promise the next chapter'll come sooner. Thank you so so so much to everyone who either reviewed, followed, or favourited. I love to hear what you think of the story. I've kind of hinted at what Annabeth's 'power' is here. If you have any ideas please guess in the reviews.**

**I don't own these people, Rick Riordan does.**

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Everyone on the table shot from their seats, reaching forward and shouting. Thalia snarled and her hand shot to the side, one of the guards tensing up then falling to the floor. Grover broke down on the floor, a tiny vine growing where his tears met the ground. They spread out along the floor, snaking along the ground and up the trouser legs of the guards, who fell like dominoes. Rachel let out a wail and fell to the floor, tears flooding from her eyes. The boy, Nico, darted underneath the clumsy arms of a guard and sprinted towards the body, before being pulled back to the table by his sister. Bianca grabbed his wrist and they both closed their eyes, skeletal hands reaching up and grabbing at the ankles of the guards. Then a mass of black-clad bodies rushed in and converged around them. Annabeth gazed around in silence as she was pulled to her feet and out of the room.

She was pulled up to her room, shoved into the barren cell she was in before. The door didn't have a window. She pressed her hands up against the metal, willing it to move and let her through. She couldn't forget the look on the faces of her friends. Or the bleeding body in the doorway.

She breathed in, then out. In, out. In, out. She walked over to the tiny sink and ran some cold water onto her hands, washing her face. Then she sat down on her hard bed and buried her head in her hands. She had to get out of here. She had to. She leaned back, her head hitting the bed. Think, think, think. She had friends here. They could get out.

Thalia could control electricity. She had electrocuted that man without even touching him.

Grover and Juniper could some control over plants.

Nico and Bianca could make skeletons come out the floor.

Rachel seemed to know what would happen just before it did.

Her, Annabeth Chase.

And Percy. Percy Jackson was a mystery. A mystery she was determined to solve.

A voice crackled into the room, anger dripping off every word. "Due to the rebellious and unorthodox actions taken by multiple individuals, training will be canceled for the next seven days. Lunches will be served in the canteen as usual, however genders will be separated. The individuals connected are being punished currently."

It felt like a fist had punched it's way into her guts and was ripping out every organ. She thought of the friendly people that she sat with at lunch, imagining them bleeding, unconscious, dead. The image made her head spin. She grabbed hold of the wooden bed stand for support, but within a second it started to groan and weaken under her fingers. She let go, a tear leaking down her face. She leant back, breathing through her nose like she had taught herself to. The bed groaned underneath her. She leapt up and staggered to the corner, sitting down and wrapping her hands around her legs. She closed her eyes tight shut, a tear leaking out the corner of her left eye before she could stop it.

She traced herhand along the wall. There was no cracks. She was stupid for letting emotions get the better of her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. The last time she had gotten emotional… she didn't want that to happen again. There was a knock on the door, and she dragged her hands along her face. She walked along and swung open the door, forcing her face to be blank. Kelly snarled at her from the doorframe. She grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hallway. Annabeth didn't struggle.

"Showers." Kelly's nails dug into her arm, and she forced herself not to wince. She was dragged down the corridor. The shower was quick and cold, and when she came out she smelt like chemicals. Soon enough she was sat in her room once again.

The next few days passed slowly. Lunch was eaten in absolute silence. None of her new friends were there, Annabeth sat on her own. She hoped something terrible hadn't happened. Just the thought of them going through the same thing as Percy Jackson had, it made her blood crawl. Sweet Juniper, caring Grover, fiery Thalia. She cared about them, even though she hadn't got the chance to get to know them properly.

Finally the week was over, and Annabeth sat down on their round table again. She looked up, and her words froze on her lips. Juniper's nose was bleeding slowly, blood dripping onto the table. She had a cut on her chin and was holding a pad to her temple. A bandage was wrapped around her forearm, already dyed red. Rachel had huge bags under eyes that were red from crying. Thalia had two black eyes and a burst lip. Grover looked even worse than the rest. The whole left side of his face was swollen, varying from green to purple to black. His left eye was swollen shut, but even so he still tried to smile in her direction. It turned out more like a pained grimace.

"Guys, what happened to you?"

"What do you think?" Thalia snarled, squinting at her through her swelled eye sockets. "I thought you were meant to be the smart one." Annabeth was taken aback by her sharp tone.

"Tha- 505, don't be mean." Juniper said it strictly, but there was a sad smile onto her face.

"Yeh, I know. I'm sorry. It's just I thought that…" Thailia was cut off by Grover.

"Don't worry. He's still healing, that's all."

"How can you tell?" Annabeth stared at the curly haired boy. He seemed to constantly know what was happening with Percy. It was almost like there was some kind of link between them.

"I just can." Annabeth stared down at her tray of sludge. They had done this. The people who ran it. Sick people who thought attacking good, decent people was okay. Juniper was so sweet and kind. The others were tougher, but she was so pure, so innocent. And they'd done this to her.

"I'm stronger than you think, you know?" Juniper's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Can you, I mean, can you read minds?"

She laughed. It reminded her of leaves "No, of course not. It's just what people always think, that's all."

"Always. Does that mean that this sort of thing has happened before?"

"It doesn't matter." The green skinned girl's cheeks had gone a darker shade of green than normal. She stared down at her tray.

"Yeh. It used to happen quite a lot. When we got in fights and stuff. But then Per- 503 came and told us to stop fighting. Said we had a common enemy. And then we stopped fighting the guards. Cause we realised we would never win that way. So we don't get beaten up as much now." Annabeth turned to the spiky haired girl beside her.

"I guess this 503 means a whole lot to you."

"Yeh, he does. Look, I'm sorry I'm so tense. But life was Hell before he came here, and if he- if he doesn't make it…"

"It's okay to be scared."

"No, it's not. Anyway, I'll see you in training." Thalia finished her tray and stood up, Juniper and Grover following her. Juniper waved at her when she left, and Grover managed a half smile.

Annabeth finished her sludge, then turned to the girl beside her. She was unharmed, but she looked a mess. She remembered that her name was Rachel, seven eight something.

"Hi."

"Hi." The blonde girl smiled at her, and after a moment she returned it.

"So, this 503 guy, he's pretty cool then?" She knew it was wrong to try and get information like this, but she wanted to know who this Percy guy was.

"Pretty cool? He's incredible."

"What's he done? Tell me about him."

"Well, all I know is before he came, it was horrible here. Like, awful. But then he changed it. The guys won't tell me anything else about him. But when I first came here, he looked out for me. Saved me." Rachel beamed, and Annabeth realised how pretty she was when she wasn't crying. "I can't wait till you meet him."

"Me neither." Annabeth could see that the red headed girl loved him. She tryed to hide it, but it was the way she talked about him so reverently.

"He's got black hair that always messy and blue-green eyes. And he's been hurt bad, but he'll heal. And Grover says that he's feeling stronger…" Rachel clamped her hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that. Pretend you didn't hear it, it's nothing." Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Honest. It's nothing." She stood up, and Annabeth followed her out of the room. "It's training next. Do you know the way?"

"No idea."

"I'll show you then." She darted down a tunnel, past two armed guards. When they passed one of them marked something off on a sheet. He was probably checking off that they were in. At the end of the tunnel there was a huge metal grid, a portcullis, blocking off the entrance. When the pair reached it it slid open, slamming shut again when they reached the other side. Rachel walked forward, but stopped when she noticed Annabeth was no longer following her. The girl in question was stood next to the gate, staring around at the huge room she found herself in.


End file.
